Car side-door-frame bottom member.



H. HWRD. CAR SIDE DOO'R FRAME BUTTDM MEMBER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1912.

n) H M f lilbllllll@ @ll-A s rarnnr onirica CLARENCE H. HOWARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO COMMONWEALTH STEEL COMPANY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GAR SIDE-nooR-FRAME BOTTOM MEMBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7,1913.

Application led lune 21, l1912. Serial No. 705,085.

To all who/m it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLARENCE H. How- ARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car Side-Door-F rame Bottom Members, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and-use the same, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a car side door frame bottom member of my im proved construction. Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a modified form of the bottom member. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line i-4L of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the end portion of the form of bottom member seen `in Fig. 1. G is a perspective view of the 'orm of bottom member seen in Fig. 2.

This invention relates generally to railway car construction, and particularly to the bottom member of a railway car side door frame.

ln cars having comparatively deep continuous side sills extending from the floor level to the window sills, the greater portion of the load oit the car is carried by said sills, but in cars having large side door openings such as baggage, express and mail cars, the doo-r opening extends to the floor level or thereabout, thereby reducing'the depth of the side sills.

There cars are thus constructed, it is necessary that the sill members be reinforced and strengthened immediately adjacent to the door openings in order to proportion ately distribute the load-carrying strength of the side sills.

ltis the principal object of my invention to` provide a one-piece cast metal member that will readily combine with the sill members of the underiframe and bridge the space below the door openings, thereby strengthening and reinforcing the side sills.

Further objects ot' my invention are to provide a bottom member Ytor a side door traine that can be readily combincdwith eitherfa. continuous side sill or with a. side sill that is formed in sections, the ends of which terminate at points below the door posts, and further to construct a bottom member with short upright extensions to which the lower portions of the door posts are attached.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construetion and arrangement of parts Vhereinafter more fully described and claimed.

The form of bottom member illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 is intended particularly for use in connection with a side sill that is made in -sections, the same terminating at points substantially below the sides of the side door Opening, and in this form of the member 1 designates a flanged rail, preferably channel-shaped in cross section and having a length sufficient to bridge the space between the ends of the sections of side sills A. The end portions of this bottom member, overlap the ends of the side sills and are liXed thereto, preferably by means of rivets.

Formed integral with the rail l and projecting upwardly therefrom at points near the ends of said rail are short, vertically disposed posts 2, to which the ylower ends of thel side door posts B are fixed.

Formed within the rail 1 between the posts 2 and suit-ably spaced apart are integral reinforcing webs or flanges 3.

rlhe form of bottom member illustrated in Figs. 2, fi and 6, is particularly designed for use in connection with a continuo-us side sill, and in this form, the rail la is provided in its outer face with a longitudinally eX- tending recess 1b which receives one of the flanges of thecontinuous side sill C. In this form of bottom member the end portions of the rail 1a are fixed to the side sill C in any suitable manner, preferably by means of' rivets, and likewise the lower ends of the side door posts are lined to the upper ends of the short vertical posts or extensions 2% A side door frame bottom member of my improved construction is con'iparatively simple, can be easily and cheaply manufactured, and ,being formed in a single piece, canbe readily combined with the side sill members and door posts of a car frame.

rllhe rail forming the main body portion ot the device, bridges the space beneath the door opening, thereby materially strengthen ing the side sill below and adjacent to said opening, and the uliright extensions on said rail provide .means for readily attaching the lower portions oit the door posts.

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It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the Various parts of my improved side door frame bottom member can be made and substituted for those herein shown and Vdescribed Without departing Vfrom the spirit of my invention, the scope of Which is set forth in the appended claims. A

' I claim:

l. A car side door-frame bottom member cast in a single piece and comprising a pair of short, vertically disposed posts adapted to engage and be xed to the lower ends of the car side door posts, a horizontally disposedrail integral with the lower portions of said posts, Which rail is adapted to engage and reinforce the side sill of the car underframe and the ends of Which rail eX- tend beyond theI short, vertically disposed posts for attachment to the side sill of thecar lnderframe, y

2. .In car construct-ion, the combination with the underframe side sill and side door posts, of a sill reinforcing and post-attachposed posts Aintegralwith said rail, which posts engage and are xed to the lower ends of the sidedoor posts, and the ends of Which horizontally disposed rail project beyond the short,l vertically disposed posts.

3. The combination with a car side sill and side door posts, of a sill-reinforcing and postattaching member lcomprising a horizontally disposed rail that is Channel-shaped in cross section and adapted to be applied to the side sill beneath the door opening Which rail is of sufficient length to extend substantial distances beyond the ends of the `door opening, and short upright members on the end portions of said rail, the upper Aends of Whichupright members are adapted to be engaged by the lower ends of the side door posts.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 28th day of May, 1912.

CLARENCE H. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

HAL C. BELLVILLE, FRED. H. BLANKENHORN. 

